


The One In Which Emma Worries Too Much, Henry Is Right Once Again, and Regina Has a Birthday

by pbandfluff



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-25
Updated: 2012-08-25
Packaged: 2017-11-12 20:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/495233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pbandfluff/pseuds/pbandfluff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr prompt: Swan Queen surprise party.</p>
<p>What it says on the tin, folks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One In Which Emma Worries Too Much, Henry Is Right Once Again, and Regina Has a Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Kathryn was never "dead", and she and David finally went and got divorced. M'kay? M'kay.

“This is a bad idea,” Emma grumbled as she balanced the last sandwich tray in her arms, “This is a  _really_  freakin’  _bad_  idea.”

“ _No_ , it’s  _not_ ,” Henry insisted as he opened the door to Mary-Margaret’s apartment, “You’ll see.”

“Henry,” Emma began, swerving dangerously as her cargo threatened to slide off its tower, “Your mom barely tolerates parties and hates surprises. God, why did I think this was a good idea? Better yet, why did I let you and Mary-Margaret convince me it was a good idea?”

“Because it  _is_ ,” Henry insisted again as he guided Emma down the front steps, “You’re always saying that mom doesn’t know how many friends she actually has. And mom’s never had a birthday party. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to rip your heart out anymore, you’re dating.”

Emma came to an abrupt halt at those words, and Henry had to dive forward to place a steadying hand on the stack of food.

“Henry,” Emma began with wide eyes, “We’re- I mean, that is- It’s just…”

Henry rolled his eyes and walked around to give a push to his mother’s back, “I’m 10, not stupid, Emma. It’s kind of awesome, by the way. Shorter answers when people ask questions.”

Emma nodded weakly, still stunned that her son had figured out the secret Regina was adamant they keep under wraps. A vague image of Regina’s face when she realized Henry knew flittered through Emma’s head, and had she been a lesser person she might have buried her face in the sandwiches and called it a day. But Henry was opening the door to her car, and across town, Ruby was putting the finishing touches on Regina’s cake while Granny finished wrapping Regina’s presents from both Emma and Henry. There was work to be done, a party to get together, and a mayor to fool for a while, the bit Emma was sure was going to make this whole crazy idea fall apart.

Sliding the sandwiches into the backseat, Emma jogged around to the driver’s side and slipped in while Henry re-locked his seat into place and hopped in. Zipping down to Granny’s, Henry carefully retrieved the packages from Granny while Emma and Ruby carried the cake out to the yellow Bug.

“Thanks for doing this, Ruby,” Emma huffed out as she adjusted the seat back to its position.

“No problem, Emma,” Ruby smiled, ruffling Henry’s hair as he darted by to get back in the car, “Anything to throw the mayor for a loop.”

“We’ll see about that,” Emma grumbled as she flipped open her phone to text Kathryn, who was supplying the drinks, “I still have to get her to the house without figuring out what’s going on.”

Her head popped up suddenly, “Don’t forget to park a block over if you’re driving. Mary-Margaret’s at the house decorating right now, and she’s in charge of hiding you all, so talk to her to find out where you’ll be positioned.”

“Gosh, Emma,” Ruby scoffed, “Is this a party, or a military operation?”

“Both,” Emma quipped, sliding back into her car. “You have 45 minutes to get to the house, and don’t be late.” Ruby nodded, and waved as Emma pulled away, heading for the mayor’s house.

———

“I have sandwiches, Henry has presents, and the cake’s still in the car,” Emma announced as she swept inside the house, hurrying to deposit the food in the kitchen before heading back out to retrieve the cake.

Mary-Margaret peeked her head around the doorframe of the kitchen, pausing her decorating to walk over and help Henry arrange the food on the long table she and Emma had set up earlier.

“Everything running smoothly?” she asked hopefully, wanting the party to go off flawlessly as much as Emma did.

“Yup,” Henry replied, snagging the presents and arranging them at the end of the table, “Looks like the only thing left is to get everyone here before mom, and then get her here without finding out.”

“You make it sound so easy,” came the retort as Emma walked in with the cake, setting it on the counter and letting Mary-Margaret deal with it.

“She’s right, Henry,” Mary-Margaret intoned, fussing over the edges of the icing, “It’s not a surprise party if the surprise falls apart.”

Emma checked her phone for the time, and peeked into the living room, “How far along are the decorations?”

“Another 15 minutes, maybe. It’s mostly utensils and napkins at this point, nothing Henry can’t help me with.”

Emma nodded, pleased, “Good, good. Kathryn’s got an ETA of five minutes with the drinks, Archie’s supposed to be right behind her, David just got off at the Animal Shelter, and Granny and Ruby should be heading this way. I’m going to start getting Regina. Text me only if you need more time, alright?”

“Ok,” Mary-Margaret nodded, absently wiping her hands on her jeans, “I think we’re set.”

“Ok,” Emma breathed, taking in a lungful of air and slowly letting it out before gripping her keys. “Let’s do this.”

———

“Madame Mayor?”

Regina startled a bit from behind her desk at the intercom, but quickly pushed the talk button, “Yes, Sarah?”

“Sheriff Swan to see you,” came the crackled reply, and Regina couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the corners of her lips.

“Send her in,” she replied, not bothering to hide the anticipation in her voice. It was her birthday after all.

Emma swept in a few moments later, making sure to close the door behind her as a smile spread across her face. Regina smiled back indulgently, leaning back in her seat to watch Emma cross the room, not sure if the extra sway she saw in her hips was wishful birthday thinking, or a luscious birthday surprise.

“Someone’s leery,” Emma teased, coming to rest next to Regina chair, leaning back against the desk and crossing her arms.

‘Mmm’ was the only response Emma received as Regina reached out to snag Emma by her belt loops, positioning her between her legs, tugging until Emma was forced to bend at the waist and grab onto the back of Regina’s chair for balance.

“ _Oh_ , so someone’s a little more than leery,” Emma teased again, this time leaning down to place a kiss on Regina’s lips.

It was soft and gentle, not what Regina had expected from Emma after showing her what kind of a mood she was in, but as Emma’s tongue tenderly traced the seam of her lips, asking for permission, something in Regina’s chest clenched suddenly, and she reached up to trace Emma’s cheekbones with her fingertips. When Emma broke away to press fluttering kisses down along her jaw, Regina let out an uncharacteristic giggle, watching as Emma pulled back and stared down at her with more than a little wonder in her eyes.

“Happy Birthday,” Emma whispered, gently twisting a tendril of Regina’s hair around her finger and letting it bounce back into place. The phrase was simple, but sincere, tinged with neither lust nor seduction, but with a tenderness and honesty that should have scared Regina, but surprisingly didn’t.

“Thank you,” she whispered back, finding she truly meant the sentiment.

“I made dinner,” Emma offered, slowly sliding her hands down Regina’s arms, “There’s cake, and it’s Italian cream.”

Regina hummed, faking concentration in making a decision, “Well, I don’t know Sheriff…”

Emma grinned, knowing the mischievous look in Regina’s eyes meant she had won.

“C’mon,” she said suddenly, standing and snagging Regina’s keys from her top drawer, “It’ll get cold. Besides, Henry’s dying for you to open up your present.”

Regina paused in her movement to get up.

“He got me a present?” she whispered, hope tingeing the edges of her voice. She couldn’t remember the last time she had received a present from her son for her birthday.

“Yup,” Emma replied, holding out Regina’s coat, “Picked it out and everything. Paid for it with his allowance as well, which, by the way, ended up being way more money than I expected. That boy hoards money like he does his books.”

Regina chuckled, sliding her arms into her coat and adjusting it, “I’m afraid he gets that from me.”

Emma shrugged, stuffing her hands in her pockets, “Not a bad habit to have, I suppose. Though next time I’m not paying his hot chocolate tab.”

Regina smiled and led their exit from her office. Walking down to the parking lot, she noticed Emma’s car was missing.

“I was, ah,” Emma began sheepishly, reaching up to rub the back of her head, “I was wondering if I could catch a ride?”

Regina froze with the implications of giving Emma a ride, with the implications of Emma walking out here with her. As her mind swan with the possibilities of someone catching them, or putting things together, Emma caught the fearful look in Regina’s eyes and deflated ever so slightly, bouncing back up so quickly Regina almost wasn’t certain she’d seen the hurt look on Emma’s face.

“Never mind,” Emma waved it off, voice taking a nonchalant tone that Regina despised because it meant Emma was hurting, “My car’s at the station, won’t take me that long. I’ll, ah… I’ll see you at your house.”

Regina’s heart sank at how Emma reverted to calling it her house. It was their house; didn’t Emma realize that?

_No_ , a voice in her head replied,  _she doesn’t. How could she when you’ve kept her a secret all this time?_

Her hand shot out without thinking, wrapping around Emma’s wrist and stopping her movements.

“No,” she insisted quietly, “A ride’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked after a moment, eyes trying not to show her confusion.

“Yes,” Regina breathed, bracing herself as she slid her hand down to entwine with Emma’s, “A ride’s  _fine_.”

Emma stared down at their clasped hands, a beatific smile blooming on her face, the one that could make Regina’s breath catch every time without fail. This time was no exception.

“Thank you,” Emma offered quietly, eyes downcast shyly. Regina, deciding that if she was going to bite the bullet, she had better eat the whole thing, raised their hands up and pressed a kiss to Emma’s knuckles, chuckling at the shocked look on Emma’s face. “You’re welcome.”

Smiling at each other for a moment, they dropped their hands and split to their respective sides of Regina’s Mercedes, unconsciously joining them again once they were settled.

———

The ride was comfortably quiet, with Emma trying not to smile and failing, and Regina smiling softly at Emma. When they arrived at the house, Emma popped out and dashed around to open the car door for Regina, laughing when she rolled her eyes and mumbled something about chivalry and letting it die.

As they walked up to the porch, Emma crossed her fingers that Henry had remembered to lock the door like he did after coming home with no one around. As the deadbolt unlatched under Regina’s house key, Emma let out a quiet sigh of relief and followed Regina inside. The house was quiet, as was normal, and the TV was playing softly from the living room, just like it normally was when Emma and Regina came home.

So far so good, Emma thought as she and Regina hung their coats on the rack.

“Henry?” Regina called out, heading towards the living room, Emma hot on her heels, “Have you finished your homework yet?”

As they rounded the corner into the living room, Emma quickly put a reassuring hand on the small of Regina’s back and reached around to flip on the lights.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REGINA!”

Emma felt the muscles underneath her hand tense, and she watched as Regina’s face contorted into shock as their guests appeared from behind couches and bookshelves. Ruby and Granny, Archie and Kathryn, David and Mary-Margaret, and finally Henry all waved and cheered as Regina and Emma stood in the doorway. A gaping mouth opened, then shut, then opened again as Regina tried to process what was happening.

“Yes,” cried Henry from his position on the couch, pumping a fist into the air, “We did it!”

As the rest of the guests laughed, Regina turned to Emma.

“What is this?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“It’s your surprise birthday party,” Emma explained, “I knew you’d never agree to a party on your own, but I thought, maybe, you might be ok with this.”

When Regina’s face didn’t relax, Emma started backtracking, “Look, I know you hate surprises, and parties aren’t your thing, but Henry was excited and everyone else seemed to be too. I can send everyone home if you want.”

Regina shook her head, “No. No, I-“

She turned to look at the small gathering of people milling about, smiling and laughing as Henry tried to manipulate a party favor into working.

“I’ve never had a party before,” she confessed quietly.

Ruby suddenly broke the moment by waltzing over with a large glass of wine for Regina. 

“First drink goes to the birthday girl,” she grinned, handing over the glass with a wink.

Regina took the proffered glass with a nod, sipping the wine. Her eyes widened slightly as the taste hit her tongue.

“This is my favorite vintage,” she said, surprised, “How did you…”

“It wasn’t easy,” Kathryn explained with a smile, “But it helps when you’re getting it for the mayor.”

“There’s sandwiches and some finger foods in the kitchen,” Mary-Margaret piped up quietly, “And plates and napkins by the door.”

Regina nodded, and with a slight nudge from Emma, made her way over to take a look. The rest of the guests followed, grabbing plates when Regina waved them on to eat.

It took a few once-overs before Regina caught sight of the pile of presents.

“Pretty good draw, Madame Mayor,” David commented as he noticed her surprise at the gifts.

Regina nodded, taking a sip of wine to cover the warmth in her chest at the gesture.

———

“Presents, presents!”

“Calm down, kid,” Emma laughed, ruffling Henry’s hair, “Let your mom sit down first.”

“Yes, please,” Regina replied as she lowered herself onto the couch.

Henry, Emma, and Mary-Margaret transferred the presents from the kitchen to the living room, and Emma and Henry sat down flanking Regina on the couch. Henry reached out, grabbing a present at random, and deposited it on his mother’s lap. Regina smiled softly at him, brushing a hand across his cheek before turning her attention to her gift.

There was a tag with the customary To:/From: written on it, filled in with her and Kathryn’s names. She tore open the package to find another bottle of her favorite wine inside, and thanked Kathryn sincerely for the gift. Kathryn merely smiled and raised her glass with a nod.

The next gift was from Archie, a log of French goat cheese and a container of local wildflower honey, something that would go perfectly with the wine from Kathryn. Ruby and Granny’s gift was a set of crystal tumblers with deep red glass, and it was only as Regina lifted one up that she realized they had been shaped into a hollow apple. David’s present was a finely built, whitewashed birdhouse for her garden, with the promise that he would hang it up for her. Regina wasn’t looking forward to opening Mary-Margaret’s present, merely by holding the status of Mary-Margaret’s present, but the sentiment was real when she thanked her for the delicately monogrammed lace handkerchiefs.

That only left Emma and Henry’s presents, and Henry was humming with excitement as he placed his on her lap.

She made a show of opening it slowly, grinning as his patience began to wear, but her breath caught in her throat as she lifted a tri-fold picture frame out, already filled with pictures of her and Henry, with the words ‘Me and My Mom’ etched on the bottom. Ignoring that there were guests, she wrapped Henry in a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he hugged her back. When they broke away, he gently set the last present on her lap with a grin.

“Should I be worried, Miss Swan?” Regina questioned good-naturedly. Emma merely smiled tightly and took a sip of her glass of wine.

Regina began to peel back the layers of wrapping, and if Henry’s gift had put her emotions on uneasy ground, Emma’s gift made them bottom out completely.

It was a sculpted figurine, slightly bigger than her hand, intricately painted with excruciating detail. But it was more than that; it was Roque, her childhood horse and best friend for most of her life, the victim of her failed attempt at enacting the curse. She had only ever mentioned him once to Emma, with vague details and a passing interest, but sitting in her hand, she was almost certain that he was going to move and finish the gait he was in the middle of.

“Did um, ahem” Emma began suddenly, voice cracking slightly, “Did I mention I dated a sculptor once?”

As Regina felt the last bit of the walls surrounding her fall, she gently set the figurine down, and with a ferocity that Ruby would later recount as a lunge, kissed Emma. As she poured every feeling she had into the kiss, the silence in the room lasted for all of two seconds before Ruby let out a whoop.

“You owe me, Granny,” she said smugly, turning to point at Mary-Margaret and David, “And you two, too.”

Kathryn giggled and nudged her recent ex-husband, “Pay up, big guy.”

Henry fist pumped again, jumping off the couch, “Yes! This is the best birthday ever, and it’s not even mine!”

Regina and Emma broke away at that and laughed as their son bounced to David, and Mary-Margaret, and  _Archie_  of all people, to collect money on the bets the small group had apparently been making for some months now.

“Happy Birthday, Regina,” Emma whispered in her ear as they sat together on the couch. 

And for once, it was.


End file.
